Refrigerator air circulating and purifying means



Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR. AIR CIRCULATING AND PURIFYING MEANS 9 Claims.

This invention relates to the class of refrigin an already constructed refrigerator and which is designed to control the circulation of refrig- 10 erated air whereby a more thlorough distribution of the air-through'the refrigerator will be effected. Another object of the invention is to provide in an air circulation controlling unit for. mechanical' refrigerators, a means for removing absorbed gases from the air of the refrigerator thereby eliminating to a certain extent the carrying of odors from one article of food to another.

Still another vobject of the invention is to provide in an air circulation controlling mechanism for a mechanical refrigerator, a novel means forming a part of the mechanism for spreading out the refrigerated air over the bottom of the food chamber of the refrigerator whereby the previ- 'ousiy referred to thorough distribution of chilled ".25 air is effected.

The invention will be best understood from a consideratior'rof the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however. that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or lmodified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient l features of the invention as'expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:-, Figure 1 is a view illustrating conventionally the front elevation of a mechanical" refrigerati??H from which the door has been removed and showing the application thereto of mechanism embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2,-2 of Figure 1, looking downwardly toward the air distributing portion of the mechanism.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on an enlarged scale substantially on the line 3-3 VofFlgure 2.

Figure 4 isa vertical section taken through the air purifying unit of the mechanism, thesection being substantially on the line 4-'4'of Figure 5. A

Figure is a sectional view taken across the air purifying unit at right angles to the section of Figure 4 and substantially upon the line 5-5 of Figure 4. f

(ci. i2-se) Referring now more particularly to the draw'- ing, the numeral I generally designates a refrigerator of the mechanical type wherein there is provided the food chamber 2, the refrigerating unit 3 within the-food chamber, and a chamber 5 for" housing the power mechanism such as the motor and compressor units, such a chamber being here designated generally by the numeral k and shown as being at the lower part of the refrigerator structure. Since the freezing unit andthe l0 motor and compressor units form no part of the present invention, the latter has not beenillustrated and the freezing unit has only been-conventionally outlined. L

Within the food chamber are the usual shelves 5 15 and disposed above the uppermost one of these shelves and at the -side of the freezing unit 3. is an air purifying unitforming a part of the present invention and generally designated by the numeral 6. This air purifying unit comprisesa 20 casing 'l having the front and back walls 8 and 9 respectively, and a top wall III which .connects the front andback walls, 4as shown in VFigure 4. Within this vcasing is areceptacle II which extends between the front and back walls 8 and 9 25 and has a rounded bottom I2, as shown in Figure 5, and has the top edges o f its side walls I3 cut away to form apertures I3a so vas to providev air passageways. as shown. Extending down through the center of the receptacle I I isa frame 30 I4 which reaches nearly to the bottom of the receptacle and which has 'therein a filler of ab sorbent material, which is indicated by the numeral I5,- and which is woven in such .a .manner that air currents may pass therethrough. 35

Upon either side of the absorbent screen within the receptacle II, is a baille plate I6 which also extends downwardly from the top -wall I0 of the air deodorizing unit but terminates a substantial distance above the lower edge of the frame I4. 40

In use, the receptacle II is filled with a suitable liquid to a level just below the lower edges oi the plates I6.

The numerals I'I, I8 and I9 designate air ducts which provide air passageways around the re- 45 irigeratlng unit 3 to conduct air from .the opening i3d which is nearest the refrigerating unit, to the downwardly extending airduct 20. It will thus be seen that the duct 20 and the ductll are in parallel relation, and the ducts I8 and I 9 are hori- 50 zontal and connect the two vertical ducts I'I .and

- 20 so that the refrigerating unit is completely encircled by the air passageways, and air passing therethrough will be entirely chilled before it is discharged from the lower end of thed'uct'lii 55 4 at the bottom of the food chamber 2 of thev refrigerator. The duct 20 extends down between the shelves 5 and the side wall of the refrigerator nearest the refrigerating unit and the lower end of the duct is joined -to one edge of the corrugated bafile plate 2l which extends across and in spaced relation with the bottom of the food chamber. The corrugations of the plate 2l extend.

' from the front to the rear of the food chamber and rpositioned substantially in thedmiddle of the area between thebottom of the food chamber and the underside of :the plate 2i.- Thus, it will be seen that with'tlie'se horizontal division plates 23, the air flowing downwardly through the duct 20 will be divided as illustrated by the arrows and will ilow beneath and over the top of the plates 23 and thereby be evenly distributed under the baille plate, 2l from beneath which it will flow upwardly through the apertures 22. `The air will then rise through the food chamber, as indicated by the flow-arrows, and will pass through the-v outer one of the openings i3a at the top of the deodorizing and gas removing unit and'flow downwardly past the bailies I6 and through the baille screen I4 and then into-the ducts I'l and I8 to repeat the circuit by way of the duct 20.

It will be readily understood that this circulation will be maintained because of the natural tendency of cold air to seek the lowest level and of warmer air to rise and thus the naturally formed current of air will pass over the iluid in the receptacle i I and through the absorbent material I5 in L the screen I4 so that absorbed food odors will be removed from the air before it is again circulated vthrough the food chamber.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator structure of the type having a food chamber and a refrigerating unit in the upper part of the chamber, means forming an air duct across 'a side of the refrigeratingunit, an air duct extending vertically through the food chamber at one side thereof for connection at its upper Y end with said first duct, means in the lower part of the food chamber for receiving air from the lower end of the second mentioned duct and distributing it o ver and discharging it upwardly throughout the area of said chamber, and means at the top of said chamber for guiding air into the first `mentioned duct.

y the inlet, a. vertically disposed air duct leading downwardly from said outlet and discharging in close proximity td the bottom of said foodchamber, a horizontally disposed plate substantially covering the area ef the bottom of said food chamber and having the discharge end of the last mentioned duct opening therebeneath, said plate ha ing a plurality of apertures therethrough for the upward escape of air whereby the air discharged therebeneath vwill be evenly distributed throughout the interior o'f the chamber. v

l 3. In a refrigerator of the character-having a food chamber and a mechanical refrigerating unit, in theupper part of the chamber, means forming an air duct completely about ,the unit, said air duct having an air inlet adjacent the top of the unit and an air outlet adjacent the bottom of the unit and upon4 theopposite side thereof from thel inlet, a vertically disposed air duct leading downwardly from said outlet and discharging in close proximity to the bottom of said food f chamber, a horizontally disposed corrugated plate .bottom of the food chamber for effecting the equalized distribution of air beneath the plate.

4. In a refrigerator having a food'chamber and a mechanical refrigerating unit in theupper part thereof, a receptacle having air inlet and outlet lopenings adjacent the top part thereof and disposed in close proximity to said unit, an absorbent screen disposed vertically in the receptacle between said inlet and outlet openings, the recep- Atacle 'being adapted to contain a gas absorbing liquid, an air duct leading from the outlet of the receptacle across a side of said refrigerating unit,

a downwardly extending air duct having its upper 1- end connected with the rst mentioned duct and 5. In a refrigerator having a food chamber andv a mechanical refrigerating unit in the upper part thereof, means forming air ducts around said unit, said air duct forming means having an air inlet adjacent the top of the unit and an air outlet adjacent the bottom of the unit and upon the side opposite from the airV inlet, a receptacle lsupported in the upper partof the foodchamber and adapted to contain a gas absorbing and deodorizing liquid, said receptacle having an' air inlet and an air outlet, the receptacle air outlet being connected with the inlet of said air duct, baille means within the receptacle for effecting the forced circulation of air across the liquid contained in the receptacle in the passage of the air to the receptacle` outlet, means for conducting air from the air duct outlet to and discharging it at the bottom of the -food chamber and means disposed over the bottom of the food chamber for effecting theequauzed distribution overeind bottom of the air discharged from the said conducting means.

6. -In a refrigerator having a food chamber and a mechanical refrigerating unit in the upper part thereof, means forming air ducts around said unit. said air-duct forming means having an air inlet adjacent the top of the unit and an air routlet adjacent the bottom of the unit and upon the side opposite from the air inlet, a receptacle supported in the upper part of the food chamber and adapted to contain a gas absorbing and deodorizing liquid, said receptacle' having an air inlet andan air outlet, the receptacle air outlet being connected with theV inlet of said air duct, a pair of spaced baffle plates disposedv vertically within said liquid receptacle and extending downwardly from the top thereof a substantial distance below the said air inlet and outlet of the receptacle, an absorbent screen disposed centrally between said baille plates in the receptacle and connected with the top of the receptacle and extending downwardly a sub- Y stantial distance below the lower edges of said bailleA plates, means for conducting air from the -air duct outlet to and discharging it at the bottom of the food chamber and means disposed over the bottom of the food chamber for effecting theequalized distribution over and upwardly from said bottom of air discharged from the said conducting means.

7. In .a refrigerator having a food chamber and a refrigerating unit in the upper part thereof, means forming an air duct having an inlet adjacent the top of the food chamber and extending across and in close proximity with the refrigerating unit to an adjacent side wall of the chamber, a downwardly extending duct connecte'dV at its upper end with the first duct and discharging into the chamber at the bottom f thereof, a corrugated plate disposed in close proximity to said chamber bottom and substantially covering the area thereof, the discharge end of said second duct being below said plate and, saideorrugations `extending parallel with the width of the adacent duct, said plate having apertures therethrough for the upward flow `of air, and horizontally disposed baille plates carried between the first plate and the said bottom of the chamber for effecting the equalized distribution over the underside of the corrugated plate of air discharged from the lower end of the adjacent duct. e

8. In a refrigerator having a food chamber and a mechanical refrigerating unit in the up-` per part thereof, means forming an air duct across `a side of the refrigerating unit, the air duct having an air inlet adjacent the top of the -unit and an outlet adjacent the' lower side of being so constructed and arrangedv that the air.

discharged therebeneath will flow upwardly therethrough and be equally distributed over the ventire area of the chamber, and means interposed between the said inlet of said air duct and the air discharge outlet in the lower part of the chamber for absorbing odorous gases carried by air entering the said air inlet.

, 9. In a refrigerator structure of the type having a food chamber and a refri-gerating unit in the upper part of the chamber, means forming an air duct extending from the upper part of the food chamber to the lower part thereof, the .said air duct having an inlet at its upper end and an outlet at its lower endl and being constructedl and arranged with respect to the refrigerating unit to cause air owing therethrough to be brought into contact with the u'nit, means in the lower part of said chamber for distributing upwardly through the entire area of the cham- ,ber the air discharged from said outlet, and deodorizing means arranged in theupper part of the chamber over said ,air inlet through which means air must pass before entering the said inlet. HERBERT H. SHORT. 

